Every year, Galeries Lafayette enthralls people with their holiday window decorations, drawing millions of curious Parisians and people from around the world. We offer you a look back on this long tradition, now part of our store’s DNA.
The origin behind the window decorations
Today considered iconic, the shop window decorations were first created in the early 20th century by the founders of Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn, who followed the example of the Bon Marché which launched the idea in 1909.
It was in that year that the Boucicaut store in Paris launched this trend of animated window displays. The initiative was the idea of Gaston Descamps, a mechanical toy manufacturer, who wanted to pay tribute to the feat of American Robert Peary, who had successfully reached the North Pole by dog sled. This exploit, unique at the time, triggered a wave of passion for the Great North and served to inspire many of the public.
The Galeries Lafayette store window displays
When the holidays roll around, the department store’s display windows turn into a full-fledged enchanting attraction.
Each year, our teams go all out to imagine unique creations designed to enchant children and adults alike with new colourful and innovative installations.
Puppeteers, engineers, illustrators, craftsmen, sculptors, sound designers, motion designers and many others participate in these installations; all the creative work is done inhouse. From the initial idea to the installation in the windows, including the modeling, design and production, the entire display window process takes an entire year.
Many different materials are used to create these displays, aimed at enticing passers-by with a marvelous universe brimming with textures, colours and shapes carefully arranged to create a link with these materials.
We will be waiting for you at Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann to admire our magnificent store windows!
